The superscription at the start of Psalm 89 tells us that it is a ‘maskil’ of Ethan the Ezrahite. We don’t know much about these literary or musical terms, but it is true that all of Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching (2 Tim 3:16).
What did we learn from Psalm 89 today, then?
(1) We can approach God honestly, bringing to Him all our questions, doubts, hurt and bewilderment. We do not have to pretend to God at all. He knows our hearts and our thoughts anyway, so there is no point in pretending, but there is great relief in being able to be honest with God.
(2) We live in the middle, where the vantage point is not always that clear. It was much easier to see the whole of Paris from the top of Sacré-Coeur or the Montparnasse Tower than it was from street level! When we are in the middle of our lives, in the middle of difficult situations, it is always hard to see how God will work things out. In the middle, we don’t have all the answers. In the middle, we vacillate between what we know is true and what we hope for and what we are currently feeling and experiencing. As Casting Crowns put it in their song, ‘Somewhere in the Middle’
Somewhere between the hot and the cold
Somewhere between the new and the old
Somewhere between who I am and who I used to be
Somewhere in the middle, You’ll find me
Somewhere between the wrong and the right
Somewhere between the darkness and the light
Somewhere between who I was and who You’re making me
Somewhere in the middle, You’ll find me (Casting Crowns, ‘Somewhere in the Middle’)
Casting Crowns, ‘Somewhere in the Middle’
(3) Our middle is lived in the context of a bigger story. Our lives are not insignificant and meaningless, however random they may seem to us. We are God’s children and He is weaving our story into His story.
(4) We can know who God is and what He is like, even when we are ‘caught in the middle.’ As Kutless, sing ‘Sometimes all we have to hold onto/ Is what we know is true of who You are.’ (Kutless, ‘Even If’) No matter what we are going through, God does not change: ‘You are who You are, no matter where I am’ (Casting Crowns, ‘Praise You In This Storm’)
Casting Crowns, ‘Praise You In This Storm’